The second largest French call centre has invested in Great Britain, by purchasing the English subsidiary HEROtsc from the Indian HERO group. One-third of the acquisition was financed by capital increases and the remainder by bank financing. As a result, Webhelp, set up in June 2000, continues to grow rapidly, with its workforce increasing from 10,500 to 16,500 employees and its call centres in continental Europe and Africa  increasing from 24 to 33, including the addition of sites in Scotland, England and in India.
 
Ashurst assisted Webhelp in London with partner David Carter, and Lucy Phillips, Nicola Burke, Margot King and Lindsay Dold on the corporate aspects, and solicitor James G. Wright, and Colette Pithie on funding aspects. Partner Alexander Cox assisted on the tax law aspects, Jake Green and David Milner on the regulatory aspects. In Paris, the team was composed of partner Nicolas Barberis on the corporate aspects, assisted by Mélanie Martin and Sébastien Ouvry. The funding aspects were managed by partner Diane Sénéchal, Thomas de Mortemart and Constance d'Heuqueville.
 
Mayer Brown also assisted Webhelp on the tax structuring of the acquisition with teams from London and Paris.
 
Clifford Chance advised a banking syndicate represented by BNP Paribas, with partner Thierry Arachtingi, Pierre-Benoit Pabot du Châtelard and Maroussia Cuny, as well as Jan Burger and Pratchi Trivedi on the English law aspects.

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